China warns ‘dangerous’ US actions are raising risk of space arms race

China called on the United States to reflect on its “dangerous actions” in space after the US Space Force stationed a unit in Japan for the first time.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the defence ministry, accused the US of “continuing to expand its space military capabilities, strengthening space military alliances and provoking a space arms race”, saying its actions have “jeopardised global strategic stability”.

“We urge the US to seriously examine its dangerous actions in the space domain, cease provoking space confrontations and stop spreading false narratives,” he said on Thursday.

Earlier this month a Space Force unit began operating out of Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, the first such unit stationed in Japan.

It follows the deployment of another Space Force unit in South Korea in 2022 and comes as Washington and allies look to counter the increasingly advanced technology being deployed by China, Russia and North Korea.

Zhang said China opposed the militarisation of outer space and was committed to peaceful activities there.